There was talk of the missed
opportunities and other errors that led to New England's demise in Sunday's
AFC Championship, but mostly the Patriots felt the Baltimore Ravens outplayed
them in the 28-13 loss.

Even though it still hurt, something
about the nature of the game made it easier to accept. But the reality of not
having another game to prepare for or tape to break down was still hard to
stomach.

"The last game – (if) you're playing this
time of year, (it is) either euphoria or crash landing. For us yesterday, it
was crash landing," coach Bill Belichick said. "A year ago at this time, it was
the other feeling.

"It's one or the other; there is no in
between. There's certainly no soft landing. A season that's very much alive, and
with great hopes and expectations and energy, crashes and it's over."

Cardboard boxes lined the locker room as
players worked Monday morning to empty their lockers and
head home for the offseason.

Many plan to take a few weeks off before
beginning their offseason regimens. The players still going to the Pro Bowl
will, barring injury or some other occurrence, head to Hawaii this week.

And more than 30 will soon begin
contemplating their futures as they are set to become free agents, a group that includes cornerback Aqib Talib, wide receiver Wes
Welker, right tackle Sebastian Vollmer and safety Patrick Chung.

Welker, who played on the franchise tag
this season, was asked Sunday night if he's concerned about his future or being
tagged again, to which he replied it was too soon to think about it.

Talib, who was acquired in a trade with
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in October, was posed a similar question and was
noncommittal. He noted he's enjoyed his time in New
England, but would not answer when asked directly if he would like to stay with
the Patriots.

"I'm still a Patriot. I think free agency
don't start until March, so until then, I'm a Patriot," he said. "I'm going to
enjoy my time."

The coaching staff will keep grinding
for the start of next season. A handful of scouts will be dispatched to the
Super Bowl while the rest look toward the
future and zero in on April's draft.

There's hope the core of players
will be strong enough to get the team back to this point next season, no matter
what free agents are retained and what pieces are added through the draft. Tom
Brady, despite an admitted poor performance Sunday night, is still on top of
his game, and most of the key pieces on offense and defense will be back.

Even those who may not be around see a
bright future for the Patriots.

"(This is) one of the best teams in the
league," Talib said. "You all know that."

And the most important piece of all will
be back, pulling the strings.

Despite being the longest-tenured coach
in the NFL, the 60-year-old Belichick seemed energized and ready to hop
right back at it Monday morning. So there's no need to worry. He'll be back.

"Yeah, I'll be here," he said. "You have
to deal with me again next year. I know it's disappointing for a lot of you.
Until I'm told otherwise, I plan on being here."